Newcastle United – Cheapest MatchDay Experience in the League

In October, BBC came out with a survey, which showed how much it takes for a spectator in England to watch his beloved football club on the match day, i.e. The whole match day experience.

Newcastle United were on top of the list when it came to the pricing, a spectator can enjoy a day out at the rechristened St. James’s park for only £ 23.00, the money entitles you to a programme note a cup of tea, a pie and of course the match. The second best deal can be had at the DW stadium where you can get everything for £ 27.10.

It is abundantly clear from the survey that the so called bigger clubs charge a higher price than the other clubs. For instance some of the most expensive match day experiences can be had at the likes of Chelsea (£ 49.60), Liverpool (£ 47.30), Reading (£ 45.00), and West Ham United (£ 44.50). Its one thing paying top dollar (or pound) at top clubs but imagine paying those amounts at Reading and West Ham, clubs who have been tipped been marked by many as ‘relegation strugglers’.

The question I want to ask is whether being on the top of that table is a good or a bad thing. Newcastle United have not been in the running for a trophy since we reached the semifinal of UEFA cup in 2003 – 04 and semifinal of the FA cup in 2005. Whereas some of the so called top clubs apart from Arsenal have won at least one trophy each.

One thing is abundantly clear if you want to watch a top club play and compete for a trophy, then you do have to shell out. And if you are a supporter of a mid to lower table club, it’s often the case that it will still cost a decent amount of money to watch your team push for higher honours.

The match day income at Newcastle United is not as much as the other English clubs and neither is the sponsorship money. Hence our recruitment strategy is very thorough (needs to be too) and the aim is to get the best deal for the money spent.

The ticketing at Newcastle united is set for the next decade and is not going to change much, so this is going to put even more pressure on the scouting and recruitment team to ensure we sign players that can move clubs forwards. The evolution needs to come from within.

For me the club deserves enormous credit for taking the approach that they have. I sincerely hope the club are justified with a trophy sooner than later.

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